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THE DUQUESNE 
CHRISTMAS MYSTERY 



THE DUQUESNE 
CHRISTMAS MYSTERY 

AS WRITTEN BY 

THOMAS WOOD STEVENS 

TO BE ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF 

DUQUESNE PENNSYLVANIA 

XXIII DECEMBER 

MCMXVI 




WITH DECORATIONS BY 
HARRY LAWRENCE GAGE 






Copyright 1 91 6 

By Thomas Wood Stevens 

All rights reserved 



/ 

DEC 29 1916 

©C!.D 45761 




EFORE US is a steep hillside ', 
crossed midway by a paved road. 
Up the center of the hill are stair- 
ways of stone, with wide landings; 
at the top, blocking out the stars, is 
a dark building with crenellated turrets. Beside 
the roadway is a windowless hut — a mere blind 
wall — and at each side of this wall the stairways 
ascend. Below is a playing field, and beyond this, 
further down, a river, with great mills beside it, 
where even at Christmastide the loud forges are 
flaming. 

From the high turrets a sound as of many 
trumpets floats down. Then a light breaks on the 
level above the roof of the hut, and one sees dimly 
three figures, grave, majestic, imperative — the 
Prophets Ho sea, Micah, and Isaiah. 

ISAIAH 

List ye, as it is written, so spake I 
Isaiah: For the Lord Himself shall send 
[5] 



Ye forth a sign; a virgin shall conceive, 
And bear a son, and ye shall call his name 
Immanuel. . . . And to thy light shall come 
Gentiles, and kings unto the brightness of 
Thy risen star. 

MICAH 

List ye, as it is written, so spake I, 
Micah, prophet of God's will : 
Thou, Bethlehem, though thou be little among 
The thousands of Judah, out of thee shall come 
Him who shall rule in Israel, whose path 
Hath from of old been destined, everlasting. 

HOSEA 

List ye, as it is written, so spake I, 
Hosea: When Israel was a child 
I loved him well, and for his sake I called 
My son out of dark Egypt. 

ISAIAH 

So spake we, prophets of the wandering years, 
Lifting our hearts in hope to beat with God. 
List ye, for He hath wrought our visions out, 
And He hath sent His Son to feed His flock 

[6] 



Like to a shepherd. He hath gathered home 
The lambs unto His bosom. Praise His name- 

The three Prophets disappear. 
Below y on the hillside, three 
Eastern Kings are seen ap- 
proaching. 

JASPAR 

Stay, brothers and princes. The star is lost. 

BALTHASAR 

Now for twelve nights it hath burned clear. 

MELCHOIR 

And floated on before to guide our steps. 
Here is some evil thing that it should fade. 

BALTHASAR 

Some evil near. Stay we our course. The star 
That westward we have trailed from Araby 
And your bright orient kingdoms, will not fail 
Until the prophecies we read of old 
Be new fulfilled. But peril to the Child 
Might dim its fire. 

[7] 



JASPAR 

Yea, in the ancient scrolls 
Are dangers written deep.The star-flame blows 
Back at the heavy tread of mailed feet. 

Below, on the stairway, Herod 
appears, and comes slowly up 
followed by guards and coun- 
sellors. 

MELCHOIR 

What gleam of helmets yonder, and of gold ? 

BALTHASAR 

Some lord is this, whose rule is not as ours. 

JASPAR 

Hail, Prince, and peace, and light unto thy 
path! 

HEROD 

What stranger kings are these who come un- 
known, 
Unbidden, to my realm ? 

BALTHASAR 

From out the East 

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We come, Melchoir, and Jaspar, King of 

Taurus, 
And he who speaks you here, Balthasar 
Prince of Araby. We are come to seek 
A Child new-born whose mystic star we found 
As prophets had foretold from long ago, 
A Child born to be King of the Jews. We come 
With gifts to greet and worship Him. Say thou 
Where is this Child ? 

HEROD 

King of the Jews, ye say. 
I know Him not. 

JASPAR 

Who art thou, good my lord ? 

HEROD 

Forgive mine evil courtesy, sir princes, 

But I am troubled. . . . Herod is my name, a 

king 
In this lean land of Judah. Speak you fair, 
And say again — this star — these prophecies? 

JASPAR 

The star hath led us westward, wondering on; 

[9] 



The prophecies name Bethlehem, a town 
Little in Judah, whence shall come a King 
To rule in Israel, anoint of God. 

HEROD 

I knew it not. I have no child. . . . But when 
First saw ye this new star ? 

BALTHASAR 

Twelve nights ago. 
'Tis like the Child was born that night. 

HEROD 

Yea, very like, and have ye told me all ? 

BALTHASER 

All that hath been revealed. We wait 

Here with our gifts. The star may burn again. 

HEROD 

My greetings, Princes. Freedoms of my realm 
Be yours. But this I pray you, when you find 
The Child indeed, bring me straight word of it. 
For I would worship also. 

JASPAR 

Peace be thine. 



Herod goes down the stair, and 
pauses at the central landing, 
his spearmen and counsellors 
about him. 

HEROD 

Dreams and seditions! When these kings re- 
turn, 
These dark intruding Magi, with' their babe, 
Bring them before me. They adventure far 
But I will send them on a longer quest. 

A COUNSELLOR 

Whither wilt send them, Tetrarch ? 

HEROD 

Unto death. 
For all their dreams are treason 'gainst my 
house. 

COUNSELLOR 

And if they do not find the child ? 

HEROD 

Still— death. 
For they have mocked me, searching. 



COUNSELLOR 

And the child ? 

HEROD 

Hear ye my sentence: if they find this child, 
He dies. And if they find him not, but slip 
Out of my hands unrecompensed, then all 
Men children of this young child's year, shall 

die, 
That he escape not. 

COUNSELLOR 

These be bloody words. 

HEROD 

I have my prophets too. Wouldst flout their 
law 

And mine? Set on. 

Herod and his people move 
slowly down the stairways 
into darkness. In radiance 
above the center appears the 
Messenger Gabriel. 

GABRIEL 

The watchers of the skies, God's messengers, 



Keep ward upon this land to-night. The tyrant 
Speaketh true: the olden words shall fall 
Like blades of harvest on the innocents 
And Rachael weep, and weep uncomforted. 
So it is written. But the child they seek 
Dies not, but waits his agony, serene 
Amid the singing of the morning stars. 

The Gloria in Excelsis is heard 
afar off. At the left, on the hill- 
side, a faint light glows upon 
a group of watching shepherds. 
As the light brightens, they hear 
the heavenly voices, see the ang- 
el, and, struck with awe, fall 
upon their knees. 

GABRIEL 

Jfear not, for bebolb 3 bring pou goob tt&mg* of 

great joj>, tofjiri) stfjall be to all people. 

jf or unto pou te born tf)te bap, in tije citp of ®abib, 

a g>abiour tofjicf) is Cljrtet tfje Horb. 

Snb tljfe stfmll be a sign unto pou: ge sfjall finb 

tije babe torappeb in Stoabbling clotfjes, tying in a 

manger. 

[13] 



The shepherds gather wonder- 
ing, as the heavenly messen- 
ger disappears and the chorus 
echoes into silence. 

FIRST SHEPHERD 

Saw ye, my brothers ? 

SECOND SHEPHERD 

Yea truly, and marveled. 

THIRD SHEPHERD 

And lo, our people come now from the hills 
With wonder upon them. 

SECOND SHEPHERD 

Let the sheep graze alone. The Lord his hand 
Is over us and all our flocks tonight. 

FIRST SHEPHERD 

This we have seen is in God's will. And men 
Hearing of us this strange new word, will come 
From far to kneel adoring, — all such men 
As we who toil and watch. Not unto captains 
Of wrath, high lords, and governors of cities 
Did he speak, but unto simple folk he came 
[Hi 



And cried his tidings of great joy. To us 
God's messenger doth pledge a Saviour Christ, 
And they who toil and watch, shall know of it. 

He turns toward the window- 
less wall at the center. 

Het u* go noto unto Petfjlefjem anb £ee tfje tfjing 
tojncf) te tome to paste, toJjirf) tlje ILoxb fjatfj mabe 
fenoton unto u£. 

Again the trumpets sound, and a mighty 
music of voices aspires as the thronging messen- 
gers of heaven appear along the central causeway. 
Before them, above the windowless wall, a star 
swings magically into flame. The Shepherds and 
the Eastern Kings move toward the star, enwrapt 
and silent. 

Now the wall seems suddenly to vanish. In its 
place, filled with a golden radiance, is the manger, 
and Mary the Mother holding the Child. 

The Shepherds kneel in adoration; and the 
Kings lay at her feet their gifts, gold, frankin- 
cense and myrrh. 

Up from below come slowly the men and 
women of the nations who dwell in the city, they 
[is] 



too kneeling till the stairways are dark with them; 
and all the while the music swells with a great 
gladness. 

The vision fades, and the people turn singing 
to the darkness below, where the forges are clanging. 

And now the Tree on the playing field breaks 
into light, and down the stone stairways patter the 
feet of many children, trooping with song to dance 
around its glistening spire. 



[16] 



IIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

■■■HI 

018 394_437_A 




